Beautiful
by Serb
Summary: "You will be part of something beautiful...". Based on the scene when Shen whispers these words to Tigress. This fic is a bit of a character analysis of Shen and the way his twisted mind works. Now Remastered with new details! Please read and review!


_Author's Note: Ok this is a one-shot. I just got the inspiration for the pairing after watching the film. This story delves a bit more into Shen's psyche in an attempt to understand his twisted character a bit better. Normally Shifu is my favourite character from KFP, but Shen's also one of my favourites now. I wish I could come up with a better title… Hope you enjoy the fic!_

_Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me but to Dreamworks. Except Nila, she's my creation._

Beautiful

Lord Shen stood in front of his captives and addressed them for what he assumed to be the last time.

"Such sad, sad faces."

A mocking tone especially reserved for the Furious Five, who were so helpless before him.

"But now is a time only for joy…"

Shen smiled and decided to add some effect to his final words. He stepped closer to the group that securely chained up and chose to refer to their leader: Master Tigress. Slowly and confidently, he leaned in to the side of her face and lightly brushed against her furiously hot cheek.

"You will be part of something _beautiful_." He stressed the last word as he crooned into her ear.

Tigress' eyes narrowed and she snarled, baring her teeth. After pausing to see her response, Shen moved away from her.

"Once we reach the harbour, in front of all the world," he continued, his voice growing to an excited tremor, "you and your precious kung fu will die."

He rasped a cruel chuckle before finishing, "And China will know the power before me. Set sail!"

The five were hoisted into the air and he could hear Tigress' grunt of protest. Shen swivelled around with his majestic tail trailing behind him, and swiftly walked to the front of the ship. He looked down at his crew and then at the horizon toward his destination.

Excitement and innovation was in the air. He let his thoughts wander over so many things – battle tactics, the possession of China, the establishment of his rule…..but they first quickly flitted on his brief encounter with his proud prisoner. Master Tigress, the fearsome warrior whose feats were heard of far and wide, and the original leader of the legendary Furious Five before her position was overtook by that blundering panda…

A beautiful, fierce creature he managed to possess. He tamed her, and his heart swelled with pride at the thought of it. Shen was glad to be rid of the Dragon Warrior who threatened his destiny, but he was also gained immense satisfaction in seizing control over which was considered untouchable.

Beauty was power, whether it be found in the burning explosions of fireworks or the hate-filled eyes of the tigress, it was power that Shen yearned for. Power can be used to gain control, loyalty and devotion. It could bring happiness, which he missed out most of his life. Happiness, like power, must be taken.

Shen had content, but not happiness. He was brought up in a comfortable household, faring far better then the usual Chinese elites. He had a dedicated nanny who didn't support him on his final decision. He had parents who doubted their heir's abilities and feared what their own child would become. It was the very mother and father who ordered him to be exiled with those false tears in their eyes.

Backstabbers. Hypocrites. All those rules of false politeness and etiquette that have been moulded into his behaviour over the years of growing up in the palace and refused to leave him during his thirty years of exile, Shen hated them all.

Exile wasn't so bad after all. He still had some money and had a steady income from the land he owned in Gongmen Province which the peasants paid to use. At least his parents didn't confiscate them from him. Perhaps the guilt weighed on them enough to allow their only child receive some money even if they would never see him again.

He had his trusted wolves and their leader who was an old friend, and he could pay gorilla mercenaries to join his budding army. He didn't need the support of the foolish and vain peacock elite.

The peacocks hated him and he didn't mind it. What pained him while growing up was that the females rejected him as well. Peahens, adorned with elegant jewellery and their coloured plumage, looked at him with horror and disgust any time he proudly fanned his blood-red patterned white tail and concealed their faces behind fans. Anger bubbled within Shen every time they recoiled and he grew to hate them, their stupid gossip and ridiculous jewellery. It infuriated him when he could overhear them mention the words 'sickly' and 'weak' and even the occasional 'frightening', which they spoke in hushed tones with each other. The peacock nobles would stare at the young prince in silent horror but would not dare voice their opinion in case of his highness inflicting his wrath upon them.

He took his loneliness with him to exile. The Wolf Boss, perhaps his only true friend, tried to bring up a hint or an offer to assist his master in finding a suitable mate, especially when they were stationed in India where peahens were plenty, but Lord Shen always dismissed his proposals.

It was only when they passed through a small Indian village did the wolf notice and opportunity for his master. Lord Shen enjoyed having occasional explorations of the places they visited, which he did always in the company of two or three wolves (the Wolf Boss would always be one of them, of course). It was when they were going through the marketplace they noticed a certain figure stand out from the usual crowd of locals.

A tall black panther, with her eyes downcast, walked in a secure step up to a stall to sell some goods, which at the time seemed so insignificant. She wore the traditional local sari and heavy bangles on her wrists – probably glass because she was unable to afford gold. Her eyes, which were an intense blue-green colour, occasionally glanced up at her customers and she revealed a beautiful set of white teeth when she smiled.

What the Wolf Boss also noticed was that Lord Shen just kept staring at her. During his life at the palace, Shen had only encountered birds, hoofed animals, canines and pandas, but he never saw any felines. Until that day, he had only heard of their existence and knew what they looked like from pictures in scrolls.

"Is that a panther?" asked Shen, not taking his eyes off her.

"Yes, Lord Shen." Replied the obedient servant.

By now even the panther noticed that the foreigners were observing her. She lowered her head in modesty and concentrated on her task ahead of her.

"We shall purchase from her."

The Wolf Boss didn't hesitate to follow his master to the stall and he signalled the other two guards to follow him. When they stood in front of the stall the peasant kept her eyes down on the goods in front of her.

"How much for the iron pot?" asked Shen in the local dialect. He had studied a few languages under his numerous tutors back home, which proved to be quite handy in his travels.

"Five rupees." Her voice was soft and gentle, a contrast to her powerful physical form. Her eyes briefly flitted up to examine her customers and returned down again. She was hardly the stereotype of a pushy salesperson.

"That much for this piece of metal?"

"It is handcrafted Sir, see the patterns here?" she explained, tracing her finger along the design on the object, "I cannot sell it for any less."

Shen paused and then nodded, which the wolves took as a signal to hand her the money. A pity this piece was to be used in his experiments and be remoulded into steel.

"What is your name?" demanded Shen.

She looked up at him in surprise before answering, "Nila."

Without another word Shen and his party left the stall. A short while later, when they were a considerable distance from the market, Shen gave the Wolf Boss his orders.

"Bring her to me."

The wolf didn't need to be told twice. That night, Nila was brought bound in ropes to Shen's tent and unceremoniously dumped on the floor in the middle of the space. They were left alone immediately, and the first thing Shen did was pace around her, examining his delivery.

"What do you want from me?" cried Nila, her voice already a desperate plea to an answer she already knew.

Shen's beak twisted into a satisfied smirk. He then threw a bag filled with coins on the floor in front of her. Young Shen at the time was much kinder than when he became older. He still had the manners to give his victim a choice: she could either take the money (which was a generous sum) and willingly allow him to do whatever he wanted to her, or she could refuse and he would have to resort to force (which he considered to be a nuisance he wanted to avoid). Aware that in this predicament she could not avoid her fate and that her family needed the money, she agreed to obey him.

This was the first time Shen possessed a living creature, a proper slave and not some servant who could refuse to continue serving him. He was so excited that… he didn't know what to do with her. He was aware that some of the peacock nobles had mistresses who were of different bird species but having a mammal as a mate was unheard of. Just like it was unheard of to use fireworks as a weapon.

Shen swiftly took out one of his daggers from his sleeve and with a swipe cut the ropes that held her captive. Trembling, Nila stood up and face him. She was taller than him by a head, yet her expressive eyes betrayed the fear she had for the creature that was smaller than her.

He gestured at her sari, "Take it off." Gingerly, she slid the sari off her shoulder and undid her dress. Shen twirled the dagger in his wings while watching her. It was advantageous that she was unaware it was a habit that betrayed his unease.

Without her traditional dress she was beautiful. Her strong, healthy form was covered in dark fur which was a contrast to his fragile white. She had the pigmentation that had been drained out of him since his conception; she was the true embodiment of the colour yin to his yang. Happiness was in front of him and he took it. Even when tears streaked down her face he felt no regret. He never knew that such pleasure could be derived from a female that wasn't even of his species and the fact that she was at his mercy increased his adrenaline. His parents would have been so ashamed if they saw him, their prince, satisfying himself with a lowly peasant. The very thought gave him a painful thrill. The entire peacock clan would stare in horror if they saw him then with some primitive feline.

The Soothsayer, his nanny who raised him, would have bowed her head with guilt if she saw him taking advantage of some female. The very thought of that old goat drove him to push harder, blocking out the image of the royal adviser.

He wasn't gentle, every kiss he gave left a painful bruise anywhere on her body, and her lips were swollen. Despite the pain she had to hold on to him and endure any roughness that was inflicted on her. At the end of the congress Shen got up from the bed with unusual composure. Without a second glance at her, he slid on his silk robe and fastened it. He then walked over to his table upon which his scripts on fireworks and the blueprints for his prototype cannon were scattered, and nonchalantly flipped through them.

Nila desperately clutched at the bedsheets and pulled them around her to preserve her modesty and any shred of dignity she could save. After a long pause she finally summoned to courage to ask, "May I leave?"

Shen stopped flipping through his papers and turned to her, seemingly annoyed at her question. But then another one of his smirks formed and he walked over to the end of the table, his metal talon covers clanging as he walked. He paused in front of a container and opened it. Immediately the familiar smell of cooked fish wafted throughout the room.

"Are you hungry?" asked Shen in what seemed to be a kind tone.

Nila's frightened eyes stared at him, unsure of what to say. When he didn't respond, she nodded.

"Would you like some?" It was followed by another nod. Shen's smirk became a cruel smile, "Beg for it."

Nila's hungry stomach rumbled loudly. Still holding onto the bedsheets, she sat down on the floor and begged in a broken voice. Shen had to stop and admire the beautiful, proud creature kneeling before him before he threw her a piece which she caught with her paws.

He kept her for a little while longer for some additional fun. After all, she was his first mate and he was actually quite proud of his conquest. In the early hours of the morning Nila, with her face still wet with tears, left his tent and trudged back home to the village in the twilight. She also wore a new set of gold bracelets which replaced her glass ones. The Wolf Boss who was on guard duty that night noticed the distraught female when she passed by him and went to his master's tent to see what happened. Aside from the bed being a mess, Lord Shen seemed to be perfectly calm and the most relaxed he had been in months. Noticing his confidant, Shen waved his wing in dismissal.

Happy that his master seemed satisfied, the Wolf Boss turned to leave. He was stopped by a question that was issued from behind him.

"Did you find her beautiful?"

The Wolf Boss turned back to Shen and immediately blurted out, "Oh yeah, yeah! She was a great choice Lord Shen!"

His master seemed pleased with the answer, but then Lord Shen asked him in a very tense tone, "Do you think of me as strange? That my actions tonight would serve only to humiliate me as I resorted to picking peasants?"

The Wolf Boss had to be careful when he answered this one. "Lord Shen has the right to chose whomever he wants, for any choice the heir to the throne of Gongmen makes is always right."

Shen smiled proudly and played with one of his throwing knives. "Do you think she will be able marry after what I have done to her?" he asked lazily.

Before his loyal servant could reply, Shen answered his own question, "I do not think so. She will never find someone who loves her enough to ignore _that_."

There was some bittersweet satisfaction found in this notion.

Since that day, Shen had discovered that he enjoyed bringing powerful figures down to their knees, receiving immeasurable satisfaction when doing so to powerful females. He always thought that there would never be a strong Chinese woman who would meet the standards of everywhere else he travelled, until he came face to face with Tigress.

He didn't have the opportunity to concentrate much on her when the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior were first brought to his palace in chains. He was much too busy worrying about his opponent and how to eliminate him.

Their second meeting was when the Five broke into his fireworks factory. Again he had to concentrate on defeating his adversary who just refused to die.

Once his cannon blasted that foolish panda away the Five were easily captured. Only when they were securely tied up Shen had the opportunity to properly observe them - a crane, a praying mantis, a monkey, a viper and their female leader, the tiger. Powerfully built with blazing courage that complemented her physique. Large golden eyes, paws that were firm as iron, muscles which strained against her chains and a beautifully patterned coat adorned his statuesque prisoner.

She excelled at kung fu without any weapons, which Shen so heavily relied on. A prized captive whose life he now possessed. He just couldn't resist the temptation of feeling her cheek against his and whispering the cruel promise into her ear, just to see the desperation in her eyes. He didn't receive such a sight.

Disappointed, he signalled the Five to be hoisted up and to be used as the target for his cannons once the ships left Gongmen City. Such a shame that she didn't beg, he would have spared her life if she crawled at his feet just like Nila did all those years ago when he was newly exiled.

But now that he is older and sanity transcends into madness, perhaps he wouldn't spare his enemy, even in return for a favour.

For nothing stands in his way to power, which would in turn grant him the utmost happiness and right all the wrongs of his past.

THE END

_Author's Note: That's it! The remastered version! I did the original in a night when I couldn't sleep and when I reread it I thought there could be more improvements. Yeah, I expected this to be more of a Shen/Tigress romance but it didn't turn out that way. Was I the only one who noticed their chemistry in the film? But perhaps I'm just imagining it, if I'm not mistaken they film voice actors' character portrayals first and then animate the characters. Gary Oldman probably whispered the words as an effect, and since whispering is usually done to one person, he might as well whispered whisper them to the leader of the Five._

_I kind of imagine Shen being attracted to strong, healthy women who are his opposites so that he can dominate them and feel good about himself. If she was weak or looked like him I think he would despise her.I imagine the young Shen being self-conscious and wanting to please his parents (like he expected that they would be pleased when he massacred the pandas), so this is his form of rebellion against the protocols he was brought up with. In the film, we see he just doesn't care anymore, symbolized when he ordered his father's throne to be thrown out of the window._

_Like the pairing or hate it? review and let me know what you think!_


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